The English guitarist arrived in the 1980s' New Wave of British Heavy Metal, toting a Les Paul Custom and a vibrato wider than the English Channel

Sykes joined Whitesnake in 1984 when the band's frontman, former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale, asked him to replace founding guitarist Micky Moody while the British band was on tour behind that year's 'Slide It In'.

John Sykes, a hard-rock guitarist and singer who played with Thin Lizzy before joining Whitesnake for its smash 1987 album and later forming Blue Murder, has died of cancer. He was 65. The news was confirmed on Sykes’ Facebook page,

John Sykes, the electrifying guitarist who rocked the world in legendary bands Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died at 65.

(Gray News) - Guitarist and songwriter John Sykes, who played for Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died. Sykes died at the age of 65 after a “hard-fought battle with cancer,” according to a statement on his website.

John Sykes died from cancer at age 65. The guitarist played for both Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake before joining Blue Murder with Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice.

Listed among the greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time, John Sykes has been remembered by stars including Guns N' Roses stars Slash and Steven Adler.

John Sykes, the hard rock guitarist who worked for Thin Lizzy, has passed away at the age of 65. His death was confirmed via a post on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, January 21 however,

A gifted guitarist who played with some of the biggest rock bands and who lived in Blackpool for many years has died, aged 65.

In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years,” a statement released Monday read.

A rare interview with the late John Sykes, who died this week at the age of 65 – and some personal memories from Myles Kennedy